Glover Teixeira Has Nothing To Gain In Fight With James Te-Huna

There is no hotter UFC light heavyweight right now than Glover Teixeira. The native Brazilian is currently on an 18-fight winning streak and impressively steamrolled his first three UFC opponents.

Fresh off a lopsided victory over former UFC champion Quinton Jackson, Teixeira would seem to be only a fight away from a title shot. The UFC, however, seems to have different plans for the light heavyweight contender.

Instead of being paired up against a top five fighter, Texeira was signed to fight Ryan Bader at UFC 160. Bader has lost three of his previous six fights and sits extremely low on the title contender totem pole. Texeira would essentially gain nothing with a win over a non-contender such as Bader.

Teixeira’s MMA fortunes, however, appeared to change, as Bader suffered a knee injury removing him from the fight. Instead of using Bader’s injury as an opportunity to pair Texeira with a more deserving contender, the UFC substituted James Te-Huna, who is even lower in the light heavyweight pecking order than Bader.

Although Te-Huna has won four consecutive fights, the Australian is nowhere near the contender status and possesses little fanfare in the United States. As a result, a win for Teixeira does little to advance his chances at a title shot and a loss to Te-Huna would be devastating for Teixeira’s title aspirations.

Teixeira, however, does not seem concerned about his new opponent. In a recent interview, Teixeira told MMAinterviews.tv that he believes his fight at UFC 160 has value in helping him win over more fans. “We are going to get in there and both throw down,” Teixeira said. “It is going to be a great, exciting fight for the fans.”

With his title aspirations at stake, Teixeira better hope he comes out as the victor in this dangerous fight.